Corrour in the distance

As I’d just spend 4 days away on the Dales Way, a Wednesday to Friday “weekend” trip to the Cairngorms just fitted in before some weekend guests arrived, although it involved hasty preparations. However I was Easily Led into it by Franks Itinerary of Bob Scott’s and Corrour bothies.

In the car with Frank and Matt Diggle – YMC’s foremost afficionados of granddad rock – there was a Whole Lotta Led booming from the speakers as we sped north. I was amazed to reflect that its eight years since I last slept at Corrour in 2002, and – gasp – three and a half years have already slipped by since Tenk and I made our somewhat infamous “Ten Years Gone” trip to Monad Mor with its seisimic consequences at Bob Scott’s.

The Fife Arms at Braemar was driven straight past, so parking at Linn of Dee we went immediately to Ramble On in the gloaming for a quick 50 minute march to Bob Scotts. The bothy was in darkness, but in fact was occupied by three cyclists with guitars, copious alcohol, and towing a baby trailer to Bring It On Home; they’d arrived at 5pm and crashed out by 11. Anyway we were able to actually sleep inside the Hut this time, which was a first !

Thursday looked like a Misty Mountain day,

but the skies eased as we marched west into the wilderness and the heather was Trampled Under Foot. My right knee began to take notice of the steady tramp. In a couple of hours we approached the Lairig Ghru, and saw the Black Mountain Side of Bod am Fhitich — the Devil’s Penis, as the Gaels called it before Queen Victoria came.

I like the southern end of the Lairig Ghru:- the scenery is massive yet with a simple grandeur, which is somehow both awesome and calming too. Arriving at remote Corrour, we found ourselves sole possessors and laid out spaces. Behind the bothy, a repaired path leads like a Stairway To the plateau and round to the Summit of Bod am Fhitich at 1004 metres.

On The Devils Point

The clouds had retreated above 1200 metres, but my arthritic knee continued its commentary on the day’s walking. Anyway, we swung north now up rockier territory to Stob Coire an t-Saigheir at 1213 metres, on the way to Carn Toul, Britain’s fourth highest summit.

As I’d been this way before in thick mist, what I really wanted was the views down into the Garbh Corrie, so as the mist was closing in again on this occasion, it wasn’t too much of a Heartbreaker for me when the Knee suggested quite strongly that it would prefer to be resting at Corrour. So I went to get the tea on, whilst Frank and Matt went to bag the summits but not the views. Shame, as I can’t say How Many More Times i might get back there.

Another bothy evening. Food, tea, wine, a bright fire, convivial conversation, the company of friends, and of course uisge…….. not to mention the bothy dominoes !!

We were joined by a couple of Aberdeen students, who kept nipping outside (as it seemed) to smoke something which smelled nice, but they didn’t get overly Dazed and Confused and then slumber overtook us all.

Friday was an early morning with a big plan. Matt proposed going back up the “stairway” path and taking high ground to make a circuit of Monadh Mor and Beinn Bhrotain.

As I’d already been there twice before – and with smashing stories attached to each occasion- I felt free to listen to my Knee instead, and chose a leisurely 4 -hour stroll down the infant River Dee via Chest of Dee waterfalls

A nice Chest

and White Bridge to Linn of Dee car park. As there was a little of What Is And What Should Never Be – ie bothy rubbish – I could happily carry out a couple of bags. So it was “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You” for a walk by the river In The Light of the early morning. I saw no-one, heard little but running water, for the first 3 hours, and remembered the various and hilarious Good Times Bad Times which we had hereabouts.

We had made some good estimates of time, and Frank and Matt turned up at the car park in the afternoon, just as expected. No Communication Breakdown, so with all of us well satisfied and the Munros bagged, off we set for Glen Shee and England once more

Thanks for a good couple of days guys. I didn’t plan any of that, but I’m Easily Led
ANDREW

Skye 2010

The YMC motley crew of Kate, Guy, Chris, Matt and myself met at a friends cottage at Camus Cross on the Sunday evening. Kate having come via Mallaig on her bike and Matt, Chris and Guy via Ciste Dhubh in Glen Shiel.

Monday

The plan was to head on to the Cuillin and see what we could do, Sgurr nan Gillian was in clag so we headed south to Glen Brittle hoping for better weather. The trip up to Coir’ a’ Ghrunnda was uneventful apart from Guy and Chris wanting to paint a rather large rock red, the fact that it looked like Postman Pat’s van had nothing to do with it. The top of Sgurr nan Eag was in clag so instead of heading North we headed south across Gars-bheinn and followed the ridge downhill, eventually making our way back to Glen Brittle. We now know where the deer hang out on Skye.

Tuesday

Matt and I headed up to Glen Carron and went for a wander up Beinn Liath Mhor and Sgorr Ruadh, we would have had good views if it wasn’t for the snow showers. Mean while Chris, Guy and Kate headed up the Bhasteir gorge with the intention of playing on Sgurr nan Gillian and Am Bhastier unfortunately they found themselves in low cloud and ended up slightly misplaced so they bailed out to the Slig, good idea.

Wednesday

Matt, Kate and myself went back to Glen Carron and played on Maol Chean-dearg, good day out with more snow showers. Chris and Guy, not to be put of by the weather went back onto the Cuillin and managed to get from Sgurr nan Gillian down to Bruach na Frithe with a couple of abseils off of some big pointy things. Nice one guy’s.

Thursday

Day off, Kate went kayaking with Gordon Brown and some seals, I wandered up to Portree and the rest visited the mainland. The local hostelry was visited in the evening for food and one or five pints consumed, don’t mention the wood !

Friday

Matt went back to Glen Shiel and bagged a few more Munro’s, Carn Ghluasaid, Sgurr nan Conbhairean and Sail Chaorainn. The rest of us headed up to the Inn Pinn with Guy and Chris intending to head north and possibly bivvy on the ridge. Needless to say the weather wasn’t nice so Kate and I turned round at about 900m and left the racing snakes to it. Having eaten that night in the cottage the call was then received from Guy, Plan B, so we met the snakes at the Slig. They had done the Pinn and headed north getting as far as An Dorus in the clag and decided that a bivvy was not the best idea so headed down to the Slig.

Saturday

Chris and Guy had a leisurely stroll up Bla Bheinn, Kate went for a spin on her bike and Matt and I went for a wander around Beinn Fhada.

Sunday – home time after a quick clean of the cottage.
Good time had by all, Matt and I managed a few more ticks off of that big list and Chris and Guy have their eyes on completing the ridge next year and Kate found out that everything starts at sea level. Good company, some excellent cooking and the odd drop of alcohol.

Items found, 2 slings, pair of gloves and a pair of poles. Items lost ….. better ask Matt about that.

Role on next year

Frank

Jura May Bank Holiday 2010

I signed up for this trip in November when Andy first posted on the forum. Having pretty much just joined the club I was super excited about a weekend of biking and hiking in Scotland. My excitement somewhat faded when Tenk suggested wild camping. Its not like I hadn’t camped before, but I wasn’

t really up for three days camping in the middle of nowhere, carrying ALL that stuff, drinking stream water and most importantly lacking some very essential facilities.

In the two months before the trip I remained very non-committal –

one minute really excited and definitely up for it and the next wondering how I would survive for 3 days in the wild, much to the irritation of certain club members (sorry!!).

On the Monday before the trip I finally decided I WOULD go (due mainly to being able to nick kit off people)! Woo Hoo and OH MY GOODNESS!

Friday came and on the third attempt I managed to get absolutely everything I needed in my bag, which surprisingly didn’t feel as heavy as I thought it would. I couldn’t stand up straight (for fear of falling over backwards!) but I could carry it – this was very good news –

I had not fallen at the first hurdle!!

Ready and eager Frank, Vidal, Helen and I set off in the rain. Traffic was good and for half the journey Frank and Vidal sat in the back of the car while Helen and I discussed school and politics and education and jobs and more school!

Having refreshed ourselves with food at the Truck stop and charged our camelbaks we set off for the second and last leg of Fridays journey – the Rest and Be Thankful – a car park…

on a main road.

We arrived about 10, pitched tents and crowded around Tenk’s camper for warmth. The last of the party turned in about 3…

and that was Friday!

On Saturday I woke to the sound of a car horn and some very loud German (I think) lads who said something I didn’t understand, laughed REALLY loudly, beeped their car horn and drove off – an incident that Vidal later had me believing I’d dreamt. I was so incredibly pleased that I’d survived my first night of wild camping – I was still alive and my little tent had not fallen down (though I did have help putting it up!). I wandered down to where the car was parked to be told we were heading into the town for bacon sandwiches and a cup of tea –

immediately I began to like wild camping A LOT!!

A large YMC party of some 23 assorted humans plus 2 dogs got the ferry from Kennacraig and landed on Jura at about 3.30.

Jura comes from the Norse words meaning Deer Island. Today over 6500 deer live on six estates on the island. In contrast, the human population is less than 200 so for 3 days YMC increased the population of the island by more than 10%!!

The island is 29 miles long and 7 miles wide in places. The west is wild and virtually uninhabited, occupied only by the three Paps of Jura which are known in Gaelic as The Mountain of the Sound, The Mountain of Gold and The Sacred Mountain.

We trekked for about 5miles as a whole group before splitting off at Cnocbreac–

half went for the long haul off track to the beach and the other half went for the shorter route to camp by Na Garbh-Lochanan. Needless to say I was in the second group and so excited was I to put my pack down that I pretty much ran the last leg of the journey!! We set up camp and that was Saturday.

Sunday brought rain in the morning. Fortunately as the group who took the shorter route we had the luxury of not having to set off so early in the morning so a lazy breakfast saw off the rain, we left bags at the bealach and we began our accent up the scree path of Beinn Chaolais. It was fairly cloudy when we got to the top, but cleared on our way down to reveal some spectacular views of Beinn an Oir and Beinn Shiantaidh which inspired the group to tackle the other two paps.

I managed one of the Paps, so not completely shameful. While the rest of the group tackled the other two, Frank, Tenk, Lewis and I headed for the pub (we had our priorities sorted!!). We took the longer slightly flatter route passing Loch an t-Síob, unfortunately (for me) this involved falling in two bogs! The first time I was fine, right leg in up to knee, the second time both legs went in –

having spent a horrendous 30 seconds fearing I may be stuck there forever I managed to pull myself out pleased that there had been no witnesses!

We met the road at a bridge about 3 miles from the hotel and from there we walked on tarmac for the rest of the way. The views across the coast were stunning.

We were the first people from the group to arrive at the pub and from our arrival there was a steady influx of campers ready for food and a pint. The rest of the evening was spent chilling out, some playing pool, eating and drinking in the pub.

You forget when you live in the city, that there are so many stars in the sky (well maybe you don’t forget –

but you know what I mean). The sky above Jura is AMAZING so being the science geek that I am I spent a good hour laid on the jetty staring at the stars trying to recognise constellations, with a can of gin and tonic to keep me warm!!!

Monday was welcomed with a fry up at the Jura Hotel. Its not like I hadn’t enjoyed my porridge with boiled stream water the day before, because I actually did –

but that fry up was GOOD! The bus that Tenk organised was picking us up at 2.00 so we enjoyed a relaxing day of just enjoying the gorgeous view.

We arrived back at the ferry port at about 5 and set off for the journey home.

It was an amazing trip and will be very hard to beat. Having been ever so slightly terrified about it I would have happily stayed for the week. Massive thanks to those who: organised the trip, believed I could do it (Lizzie), give me advice, a lift or bits of kit and to Helen for the photo’s.

Hannah